British engineer Robert Lynn’s life has been irrevocably changed forever after his farmhouse in Dullstroom, South Africa was set upon by a violent gang, who not only tortured him, but murdered his beloved wife.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Robert, 66, and his 64-year-old partner, British pharmaceutical rep Sue Howarth, were asleep in their bed at in the early hours of Sunday morning, when they were awoken to the sound of their dogs barking and a window shattering.
“I suppose that is when [the thieves] started shooting at us,” grief-stricken Robert, who has been discharged from hospital, told his local newspaper, the Middleburg Observer.
“I assumed they missed. They were wearing balaclavas and attacked us.”
But what happened next is just horrific.
The three thieves, demanding money from Robert and Sue, proceeded to tie the couple up before beating and torturing them with a blowtorch.
Despite handing over all the cash they had, along with their bank cards and details to withdraw money, the intruders put the seriously injured pair in the back of their own car, before driving them to an undisclosed location.
Sue was later shot twice, Robert shot once, and the two were then dumped on the side of the road, left for dead.
Somehow, Robert managed to survive the savage, senseless attack, but came upon the discovery that his wife had been so badly injured that she had already slipped into a coma.
Managing to crawl his way to the road from the ditch where and his wife had been left to die, Robert was able to get the attention of two friends who happened to be driving by.
“I have to come to terms with losing my best friend,” he said following his wife’s passing (Sue failed to regain consciousness after the attack and passed away at 9:30am on Tuesday morning).
“She had a great life just to end up dumped in a ditch with her hands tied behind her back.”
In a statement released by the Democratic Alliance, a spokesperson conceded that while Sue and Robert were overpowered and tortured, farmhouse attacks in South Africa need s to stop.
“Since the beginning of February, 30 farms have have been attacked and 15 people have lost their lives in farm attacks across the country,” the statement read.
“We simply cannot allow these horrendous acts to continue and or our rural communities to live in fear.”
According to The Middleburg Observer, Sue’s ashes will be flown back to Southsea in England where she will be buried with her parents.
Our thoughts are with Susan and Robert’s friends and family during this difficult time.
